Eastern District of Pennsylvania

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Jalen Smith, 30, of Charlotte, North Carolina, was sentenced today to 72 months in prison, three years of supervised release, restitution of approximately $1.1 million, and forfeiture of $75,000 by United States District Judge Nitza I. Quiñones Alejandro, for his role in a bribery and point-shaving scheme to fix National Collegiate Athletic Association (“NCAA”) Division I men’s basketball games, as well as a firearms offense.

The defendant was charged by indictment in January of this year in connection with the bribery and point-shaving scheme. He was subsequently charged by information with possession of a firearm by a felon, arising from a 2025 search of Smith’s Charlotte residence, in which a loaded semi-automatic pistol was recovered.

In March, Smith pleaded guilty to one count each of bribery in sporting contests, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and possession of a firearm by a felon.

“Jalen Smith played a central role in this point-shaving scheme, which corrupted the integrity of NCAA games and the sport of basketball itself,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “As his prosecution and sentence show, we will not permit the criminal corruption of athletic competition to go unanswered. Those engaged in such behavior may profit in the short term, but they’ll lose much more when our team takes them to court.”

“Today’s sentencing sends a clear message: Those who exploit professional and collegiate athletes for personal gain will be held accountable,” said Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Philadelphia. “This conduct does more than harm individual athletes. It undermines the integrity of sports and the trust placed in fair competition. The FBI and our law enforcement partners will continue to pursue those who seek to manipulate that trust for their own financial benefit and ensure they are held responsible for their actions.”

As detailed in court filings, the overall scheme to influence or fix CBA and NCAA men’s basketball games lasted from approximately September 2022 to February 2025. After co-schemers profited on fixed CBA games, they turned their attention to influencing NCAA men’s basketball games.

Jalen Smith was a “fixer” in the scheme, working together with others to recruit and bribe NCAA men’s basketball players to underperform and help ensure their team failed to cover the spread in games during the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 NCAA men’s basketball seasons. 

Then, through various sportsbooks, Smith helped to arrange for large wagers to be placed on those games, betting against the team whose player or players they had bribed to engage in this point-shaving scheme. Smith had a leadership role in the scheme, particularly in recruiting, managing, and paying players for their roles in the scheme.

Smith and other fixers approached and communicated with the players, in person and through social media, text message communications, and cellular telephone calls, offering the players bribe payments, usually ranging from $10,000 to $30,000 per game.

Smith and other fixers specifically targeted college players for whom the bribe payments would meaningfully supplement, or exceed, the student-athletes’ legitimate opportunities for “Name-Image-Likeness” compensation. The fixers also generally targeted in their scheme players on teams that were underdogs in games and sought to have them fail to cover the spreads in those games. Many of these players accepted the offers and agreed to help fix specific games so that the fixers would win their wagers. 

In total, the bribery and point-shaving scheme involved more than 39 players on over 17 different NCAA Division I men’s basketball teams, who fixed and attempted to fix more than 29 NCAA games. The scheme also resulted in more than $3 million in fraudulent wagers placed on these games, and more than $1.1 million in financial losses to sportsbooks throughout the country.

This case was investigated by FBI Philadelphia, with valuable assistance from FBI New York and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Louis D. Lappen and Jerome M. Maiatico.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Guangtian Ha, 42, of Haverford, Pennsylvania, was arrested last week and charged by indictment with cyberstalking, arising from threatening online messages that would be reasonably expected to cause substantial emotional distress to the recipient (“Victim 1”) and his family.

At a hearing this afternoon, the defendant was ordered detained in federal custody pending trial.

The indictment alleges that, from on or about October 9, 2025, through on or about May 20, 2026, Ha used at least four anonymous X accounts to direct threatening messages to Victim 1, with the defendant frequently utilizing virtual private networks to obfuscate his internet protocol address and make tracing the source of the messages more difficult.

For example, as alleged in the indictment, in or about January 2026 through in or about February 2026, the defendant, using X account “America1stLM” posted a series of threatening and harassing messages directed at Victim 1, including: “Jew, get the f[***] out of my country”; “Jew pig, get the f[***] out of Lower Merion”; “If jews are so special then they should also be placed in special camps and receive special treatments”; “LM jews are going to have it big time, jew. Remember this. You scums have had it too easy. Goyim are taking America back, blood-guzzling demons.”

On or about May 10, 2026, as further alleged, the defendant, using X account “DlGoyim” posted the following message directed at Victim 1: “@[Victim 1] Eliminate the jewish cockroaches. Exterminate the jewish state. [Victim 1], you will have nowhere to go. Your family has no future in the US. Give it another 10 years, and you shall see a true holocaust.”

In addition, the indictment alleges that at least one of Ha’s messages to Victim 1 included a reference to Victim 1’s minor child — “@[Victim 1] Jew, watch your [Victim 1’s minor child’s true name]. There shall be a sign.” — as well as multiple posts containing Victim 1 and his family’s home address. 

In total, Ha allegedly sent approximately 50 messages to Victim 1 using at least four different X accounts.

“This online campaign of antisemitic abuse was not only repugnant, but criminal,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “We will ensure that every citizen deserves to be free from the threatening harassment that took place in this case.”

“Cyberstalking and online harassment are far from harmless. These offenses can cause real harm for victims and their families,” said Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Philadelphia. “The FBI and our law enforcement partners are committed to holding those responsible accountable and protecting individuals from threats, intimidation, and harassment, whether online or offline.”

If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of five years in prison.

This case was investigated by FBI Philadelphia’s Newtown Square Resident Agency and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Anthony Carissimi, Sima Kazmir, and Mark Dubnoff.

The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Larry Dempsey, 53, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today to 120 months and one day in prison, to be followed by supervised release, and $7,600 in restitution by United States District Judge John F. Murphy for committing an armed robbery and shooting at a city convenience store in October of 2024.

The defendant was charged by indictment in June 2025. In June of this year, he pleaded guilty to robbery which interferes with interstate commerce (Hobbs Act robbery) and using, carrying, and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.

As detailed in court filings and admitted to by the defendant, on October 6, 2024, Dempsey entered a convenience store on the 2600 block of North 27th Street, armed with a firearm, and chased the store clerk out of the store at gunpoint. The defendant took money out of the register, and discharged his firearm twice, causing damage to the store.

This case was investigated by the Philadelphia Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Catherine S. Dos Santos and Special Assistant United States Attorney Meagan Gordon.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Tenia A. Thompson, 51, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was arrested and charged by indictment with 17 counts of wire fraud, two counts of bank fraud, one count of filing a false tax return, and 49 counts of aiding the filing of a false tax return, arising from a scheme to defraud the Small Business Administration (“SBA”), multiple SBA-approved lenders participating in the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (“EIDL”) program — both established as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act, a federal law enacted in March 2020 — and the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”).

The indictment alleges that, from approximately April 2020 through June 2024, Thompson, the owner and operator of a financial services and tax preparation business called “Thompson Business and Tax Solutions” and “TBTS Taxes,” (collectively, “TBTS”) prepared false tax returns for individuals and businesses and helped them apply for and obtain COVID-19 disaster-related loans and tax benefits to which the clients were not entitled. After fraudulently obtaining these loans and tax benefits for them, Thompson charged the clients exorbitant fees.

As alleged, the defendant engaged in this fraudulent activity on behalf of more than 100 clients, generating at least $12 million in fraudulent loan proceeds, at least $5 million in fraudulent tax benefits, and at least $2.2 million in fees for herself. Moreover, Thompson fraudulently attempted to obtain tens of millions of dollars in additional tax benefits on behalf of her clients, but the IRS rejected most of these claims.

If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of 20 years in prison for each count of wire fraud, 30 years in prison for each count of bank fraud, and three years in prison for each tax count. In addition, she would face up to three years of supervised release, a fine of $18,750,000, and additional financial penalties.

On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (“Fraud Division”). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.

This case was investigated by the FBI, Amtrak Office of Inspector General, IRS Criminal Investigation, and the SBA Office of Inspector General. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Louis D. Lappen and S. Chandler Harris.

The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that four non-citizens residing in Philadelphia have been charged with illegally voting. Under both federal and state law, only U.S. citizens may vote in Pennsylvania.

Jamil Ahmad, 50, was charged by information with voting by an alien during the 2024 election. At that time, Ahmad was a citizen of Pakistan and a lawful permanent resident of the United States. 

Nighat Jamil, 47, was charged by information with voting by an alien during the 2024 election. Jamil is a citizen of Pakistan and a lawful permanent U.S. resident.

Hacina Saadi, 48, was charged by information with voting by an alien during the 2024 election. Saadi is a citizen of France and an illegal alien.

Paulo Silva, 54, was charged by information with voting by an alien during the 2024 election. Silva is a citizen of Portugal and a lawful permanent U.S. resident.

The informations allege that the defendants, despite knowing that they were not United States citizens, knowingly voted in an election held in part for the purpose of electing a candidate for the office of President, Vice President, and Presidential elector.

 “Our democracy belongs to the American people and no one else,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf.  “We will continue to prosecute every instance of non-citizen voting that we encounter.” 

If convicted, the defendants each face a maximum possible sentence of a fine, one year in prison, or both.

These cases were investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI.

The charges and allegations contained in the informations are merely accusations. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Anthony Bell, 20, of Norristown, Pennsylvania, entered a plea of guilty before United States District Judge Nitza I. Quiñones Alejandro to conspiracy to commit carjacking, three counts of carjacking, two counts of attempted carjacking, two counts of using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, and aiding and abetting, arising from his role in a series of carjackings and attempted carjackings committed in January 2025.

The defendant was charged by indictment in July of last year.

As detailed in court filings and statements, the string of carjackings began with the theft of a Chevy Cruze on January 24, 2025. 

Bell and his co-conspirators then used the Chevy Cruze to commit an armed carjacking of an Infiniti QX80 days later. Bell drove the Infiniti to a shootout in Norristown later that day. After the shootout, Bell and his co-conspirators carjacked another vehicle, a Chevy Silverado, to escape. They attempted two more carjackings using the stolen truck — one in Whitemarsh Township and one in Philadelphia — before successfully carjacking a Nissan Rogue in Philadelphia. All of these carjackings took place on January 28, 2025, and all of the victims were held at gunpoint.

Police apprehended Bell on January 29, 2025, after a high-speed chase on I-476 and I-76, when Bell crashed the carjacked Nissan Rogue after striking another vehicle. Bell had in his possession a key to the Chevy Silverado that had been taken before the Rogue.

The defendant is scheduled to be sentenced on March 1 and faces a maximum possible term of life imprisonment, with a mandatory minimum term of 14 years in prison, which must be served consecutively to any other sentence imposed, five years of supervised release, a $2,000,000 fine, and an $800 special assessment.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Montgomery County Detective Bureau, and the Philadelphia Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Alexander Bowerman.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced today that Laboriel Serrano Fernandez, aka Ivan Serrano, 42, a Mexican national who entered the U.S. illegally and has been residing in Norristown, Pennsylvania, was arrested and charged by indictment with four counts of transferring unlawful identification documents.

The defendant made his initial appearance in federal court this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Elizabeth L. Toplin.

The indictment alleges that on multiple dates earlier this year, Serrano knowingly transferred false identification documents that appeared to be issued by and under the authority of the United States, knowing that such documents were produced without lawful authority.

“Selling fake identification documents is a serious crime that threatens our national security and puts all of us at risk,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “My office will prosecute to the fullest extent anyone putting these fraudulent IDs into circulation.” 

“The production and distribution of counterfeit government documents is a serious criminal activity that compromises our national security,” said HSI Philadelphia Special Agent in Charge Nathan Abel. “HSI remains committed to leveraging our investigative expertise to identify and dismantle the criminal networks that profit from this fraud.”

If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of 60 years in prison.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Eileen Castilla Geiger and Erin Fountaine.

The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced the creation of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania (“EDPA”) Interagency Fraud Task Force (“IFTF”), consisting of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Department of Justice’s National Fraud Enforcement Division (“NFED”), and 14 other federal law enforcement agencies. Through expanded data-sharing and investigative cooperation, the IFTF will focus on detecting, investigating, and prosecuting those who defraud and steal from American taxpayers.

Today, the U.S. Attorney’s Office (“USAO”) hosted the first meeting of the IFTF, attended by federal prosecutors and representatives of the member agencies. Topics of discussion included cultivating all available criminal intelligence, innovating methods for identifying leads, and enhancing cross-agency collaboration and information sharing.

“The great fraud of our time has been against the American taxpayer by criminals who have looted government benefits programs,” U.S. Attorney Metcalf said. “Although we have enjoyed strong partnerships with individual agencies to combat this threat, it is time to get everyone to the table and muster a total approach to identifying, investigating, and prosecuting government fraud. Safeguarding the public fisc requires nothing less than striking fear in the heart of every fraudster who would steal from the national till.”

At today’s meeting, U.S. Attorney Metcalf thanked the agencies comprising the EDPA Interagency Fraud Task Force for their collaboration and commitment to the fighting fraud on behalf of the U.S. government and the taxpayers who fund it.

The 14 federal law enforcement agencies joining the USAO and NFED on the IFTF:

► Defense Criminal Investigative Service
► Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General
► Drug Enforcement Administration
► Federal Bureau of Investigation
► Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigations
► Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General
► Homeland Security Investigations
► Housing and Urban Development Office of Inspector General
► Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation
► Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General
► Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General
► Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration
► U.S. Postal Inspection Service
► Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General

These efforts are part of the nationwide initiative to combat fraud led by the White House and Department of Justice. On March 16, 2026, President Donald Trump issued Executive Order 14395, directing federal agencies to coordinate and accelerate a comprehensive strategy to reduce waste, fraud, and abuse within federal benefit programs, to be led by the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance.

The IFTF is also an outgrowth of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Government Fraud Alliance and its overall White-Collar Justice Program. In 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office instituted the Government Fraud Alliance to formalize our “whole of government” approach to white-collar enforcement, ensuring that our criminal and civil attorneys and investigators work closely with one another and federal agency partners to maximize fraud enforcement efforts. By creating the IFTF to bring together in one room our criminal and civil leadership and the agencies to combat the problem of government fraud, this program enhances the Government Fraud Alliance even further.

On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (“Fraud Division”). The Fraud Division is investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
 

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Miya Pack, 40, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today to three years of probation and 75 hours of community service by United States District Judge Joshua D. Wolson for voting more than once in a federal election.

The defendant was charged with that offense by indictment in September 2025 and pleaded guilty this June, in connection with the 2024 presidential election.

As admitted by the defendant at her change of plea hearing, Pack was registered to vote in Bergen County, New Jersey, had been registered there since in or about 2004, and until October 2024 had no history of having voted in New Jersey. In 2016, Pack registered to vote in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania.

On October 26, 2024, the defendant voted in person at an early voting location in Bergen County, New Jersey, casting a vote for the office of President of the United States of America.

On Election Day, November 5, 2024, Pack went to a polling place in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, and cast another ballot in the 2024 general election, including another vote for the office of President of the United States of America.

This case was investigated by the FBI, with assistance from the Office of the Superintendent of Elections for Bergen County, New Jersey, and the Office of Philadelphia City Commissioner Seth Bluestein, and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nancy E. Potts.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Amara Dukuly, 44, of Woodlyn, Pennsylvania, a former immigration officer employed by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”), was sentenced today to 12 months and one day in prison, three years of supervised release, a $6,000 fine, and $6,000 in restitution by United States District Judge John Milton Younge for accepting a $6,000 bribe. 

The defendant was arrested on a criminal complaint and warrant in June of last year, indicted that July, and pleaded guilty in March to aiding and abetting the bribery of a public official in exchange for an official act.

As detailed in court filings and statements, from approximately 2015 to 2025, Dukuly used his status as a USCIS employee to solicit bribes from individuals in exchange for promises to help them obtain assistance with their immigration status.

On April 4, 2025, Dukuly received a $6,000 bribe from an individual to help him with the removal of “terrorist” references from the individual's immigration file. Dukuly promised the individual that after the “terrorist” references were removed, his file would be “clean.”

This case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General, Homeland Security Investigations, and the FBI and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert J. Livermore.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Jose Gonzalez, 35, Jamie Velez, 46, Oswaldo Merced-Rivera, 38, and Anyelo Rondon-Herrera, 32, all of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, were charged by superseding indictment with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and related offenses. In addition, Gonzalez, Velez, and Merced-Rivera were charged with distribution of controlled substances resulting in death.

The superseding indictment alleges that defendant Gonzalez was a leader of a drug trafficking organization (hereinafter, the “Hot Sauce DTO”), which received, processed, and distributed bulk quantities of fentanyl in the area of the 2800 block of Kensington Avenue in Philadelphia’s Kensington section, and elsewhere, with defendants Velez and Merced-Rivera serving as DTO block managers and supervisors (“case workers”), and defendant Rondon-Herrera responsible for packaging and stamping fentanyl packets, as well as supplying pre-packaged fentanyl to DTO members for distribution or re-sale.

The Hot Sauce DTO sold fentanyl in “bundles,” which each consisted of approximately 16 individual bags, the superseding indictment alleges, consistently selling up to 100 bundles of fentanyl per day, and, at a minimum, at least 200 bundles of fentanyl per week, during the time of the charged drug trafficking conspiracy. The DTO mixed fentanyl with various adulterants, also referred to as “cuts,” containing controlled and non-controlled substances, including heroin, medetomidine, xylazine, carfentanil, tetracaine, procaine, phenyltetrahydromidazothiazole, lidocaine, and benzocaine, to make the supply go further, expand profit margins, and “boost” and extend the drugs’ effects.

As further alleged, on or about August 3, 2025, on or around the 2800 block of Kensington Avenue, Gonzalez, Velez, and Merced-Rivera knowingly and intentionally distributed, and aided and abetted the distribution of, a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl and carfentanil, both Schedule II controlled substances, resulting in the death of an individual who used those substances.

If convicted, the defendants face maximum possible sentences of life imprisonment.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, Chester County Detectives, Philadelphia Police Department, Pennsylvania State Police, and the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Lindsey T. Mills and MaryTeresa Soltis.

The charges and allegations contained in the superseding indictment are merely accusations. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.

Independence Blue Cross (IBX), an insurance company incorporated under the laws of Pennsylvania, has agreed to pay $22.5 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by failing to withdraw inaccurate and untruthful diagnosis codes for its Medicare Advantage Plan enrollees in order to improperly retain overpayments from Medicare.

Under the Medicare Advantage (MA) Program, also known as Medicare Part C, Medicare beneficiaries may opt out of traditional Medicare and enroll in private health plans offered by insurance companies known as Medicare Advantage Organizations, or MAOs. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) pays MAOs a fixed monthly amount adjusted for various risk factors that affect expected health expenditures for the beneficiary. In general, CMS pays MAOs more for sicker beneficiaries expected to incur higher healthcare costs. To make these “risk adjustments,” CMS collects medical diagnosis codes from the MAOs.

The United States alleges that IBX submitted inaccurate and untruthful patient diagnosis data to CMS that inflated the risk adjustment payments it received from CMS, knowingly failed to withdraw the inaccurate and untruthful diagnosis data and repay CMS, and falsely certified in writing to CMS that the data was accurate and truthful. The settlement announced today resolves these allegations.

“The government pays private insurers over $530 billion each year to care for Americans enrolled in Medicare Advantage,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “When insurers knowingly and improperly retain inflated payments based on inaccurate and untruthful diagnoses, we will hold them accountable whether they are a small regional plan or a large nationwide organization.”

“The Medicare Advantage program depends on accurate data about patient health,” said U.S. Attorney David Metcalf for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. “When insurers inflate their profits and the government’s costs by submitting or failing to correct unsupported diagnoses, my office will continue to hold them accountable.”

“Providing medical services to Americans is a privilege that requires strict adherence to the rules and accountability when they are not followed,” said Acting Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Miranda L. Bennett of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “Private insurers enrolled in the Part C program purposely inflating diagnoses for financial gain is unacceptable. Today’s settlement demonstrates our commitment to ensuring the integrity of the Medicare program and to partnering with the Department of Justice to pursue allegations of risk adjustment fraud.”

The United States contends that, for payment years 2017-2021, IBX operated a “chart review” program in which its nurse reviewers reviewed medical records (also known as “charts”) and identified all medical conditions that the charts supported. IBX relied on the results of those chart reviews to submit additional diagnosis codes to CMS to obtain additional payments. However, IBX’s chart reviews did not substantiate some diagnosis codes previously reported by IBX to CMS. IBX did not delete or withdraw those diagnosis codes, which would have required IBX to reimburse CMS. The United States alleges that IBX used the results of its chart reviews to identify instances where IBX could seek additional payments from CMS while ignoring those same results when they indicated IBX was overpaid.

The civil settlement resolves a lawsuit filed under the whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act, which permit private parties to sue on behalf of the government when they believe that a defendant has submitted false claims for government funds and receive a share of any recovery. The qui tam case is captioned United States ex rel. Crawford v. Independence Blue Cross, No. 20-cv-5818, in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The settlement in this case provides for the whistleblower, a former IBX employee, to receive a $3,825,000 share of the settlement amount.

This year the Administration launched the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud and the National Fraud Enforcement Division to enhance the administration’s war on fraud, waste, and abuse in federal programs. When unscrupulous actors exploit these programs for their own financial gain, they defraud the government, harm the people these programs are designed to aid and protect, and undermine American businesses that play by the rules. The Civil Division’s FCA enforcement plays a critical role in combatting such fraudulent schemes, recovering billions of dollars for the American taxpayers, and holding wrongdoers accountable. FCA matters will continue to be on the forefront of the battle against fraud, and the Civil Division’s FCA work will support and advance the mission of the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud and the National Fraud Enforcement Division.

The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, in conjunction with HHS-OIG.

The investigation and resolution of this matter illustrate the government’s emphasis on combating healthcare fraud. One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse and mismanagement, can be reported to the Department of Health and Human Services at www.oig.hhs.gov/fraud/report-fraud or 800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477).

The matter was handled by Fraud Section Attorney Wendy Zupac and Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter Carr for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced today that Independence Blue Cross, a Pennsylvania insurer, has agreed to pay $22,500,000 to resolve allegations that it violated the civil False Claims Act by submitting and failing to withdraw inaccurate and untruthful diagnosis codes for its Medicare Advantage Plan enrollees in order to increase its payments from Medicare. 

Under the Medicare Advantage (“MA”) Program, also known as Medicare Part C, Medicare beneficiaries may opt out of traditional Medicare and enroll in private health plans offered by insurance companies known as Medicare Advantage Organizations, or MAOs. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) pays MAOs a fixed monthly amount adjusted for various risk factors that affect expected health expenditures for the beneficiary. In general, CMS pays MAOs more for sicker beneficiaries expected to incur higher healthcare costs. To make these “risk adjustments,” CMS collects medical diagnosis codes from the MAOs.

The United States alleges that IBX submitted inaccurate and untruthful patient diagnosis data to CMS in order to inflate the risk adjustment payments it received from CMS, failed to withdraw the inaccurate and untruthful diagnosis data and repay CMS, and falsely certified in writing to CMS that the data was accurate and truthful. The settlement announced today resolves these allegations.

 “The Medicare Advantage program depends on accurate data about patient health,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “When insurers inflate their profits and the government’s costs by submitting or failing to correct unsupported diagnoses, my office will continue to hold them accountable.”

“The government pays private insurers over $530 billion each year to care for Americans enrolled in Medicare Advantage,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department's Civil Division. “When insurers knowingly and improperly retain inflated payments based on inaccurate and untruthful diagnoses, we will hold them accountable whether they are a small regional plan or a large nationwide organization.”

The United States contends that, for payment years 2017-2021, IBX operated a “chart review” program in which its nurse reviewers reviewed medical records (also known as “charts”) and identified all medical conditions that the charts supported. IBX relied on the results of those chart reviews to submit additional diagnosis codes to CMS to obtain additional payments. However, IBX’s chart reviews did not substantiate some diagnosis codes previously reported by IBX to CMS. IBX did not delete or withdraw those diagnosis codes, which would have required IBX to reimburse CMS. The United States alleges that IBX used the results of its chart reviews to identify instances where IBX could seek additional payments from CMS while ignoring those same results when they indicated IBX was overpaid.

The civil settlement resolves a lawsuit filed under the whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act, which permit private parties to sue on behalf of the government when they believe that a defendant has submitted false claims for government funds and receive a share of any recovery. The qui tam case is captioned United States ex rel. Crawford v. Independence Blue Cross, No. 20-cv-5818 (E.D. Pa.). The settlement in this case provides for the whistleblower, a former IBX employee, to receive a $3,825,000 share of the settlement amount.

“Providing medical services to Americans is a privilege that requires strict adherence to the rules and accountability when they are not followed,” said Acting Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Miranda L. Bennett of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (“HHS-OIG”). “Private insurers enrolled in the Part C program purposely inflating diagnoses for financial gain is unacceptable. Today’s settlement demonstrates our commitment to ensuring the integrity of the Medicare program and to partnering with the Department of Justice to pursue allegations of risk adjustment fraud.”

The matter was handled in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania by Assistant United States Attorney Peter Carr and litigative consultant Lauren M. Cordrey, along with Civil Fraud Section attorney Wendy Zupac. HHS-OIG supported the investigation.

The investigation and resolution of this matter illustrate the government’s emphasis on combating healthcare fraud. One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement, can be reported to the Department of Health and Human Services at https://oig.hhs.gov/fraud/report-fraud/ or 800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477).

The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Charles Thomas Clark, 31, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 188 months in prison and five years of supervised release by United States District Judge Juan R. Sánchez for the gunpoint robbery of a Montgomery County credit union.

The defendant was charged by indictment in April 2024. In October of last year, he was convicted at trial of aiding and abetting armed bank robbery, and aiding and abetting using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.

As detailed in court filings and proven at trial, on January 9, 2024, just before 3:30 p.m., Clark and co-defendant Emmanuel Glass entered the American Heritage Credit Union branch located on the 1300 block of Old York Road in Abington, Pa. At gunpoint, they demanded money from credit union employees, putting the cash in a paper McDonald’s bag. They also took deposited checks.

Throughout the encounter, employees heard Clark say, “It’s not worth it, this is all insured”; “…it’s not worth your life,” in reference to pushing alarm buttons, and warning employees not to move or they would get shot.

After exiting the credit union with the stolen cash, the robbers fled in a gold 2014 Chevrolet Cruze. The bank manager then called 911 to report the robbery.

Police spotted the Chevrolet Cruze a few miles away from the credit union and began to follow the vehicle. Clark, who was driving, struck multiple vehicles as he fled from police at a high rate of speed, then crashed into a marked Abington Police vehicle. Both robbers took off on foot and were apprehended shortly thereafter by police.

Clark’s co-defendant Glass, who pleaded guilty in July 2025, is scheduled to be sentenced on October 21.

This case was investigated by the Abington Township Police Department and FBI Philadelphia’s Fort Washington Resident Agency and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Catherine S. Dos Santos and Meghan A. Farley.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that David Dinenberg, 54, of Penn Wynne, Pennsylvania, was charged today by information with securities fraud and four counts of wire fraud, arising from alleged schemes to defraud investors in his company and to defraud the State of Rhode Island.

As detailed in court filings, in or around 2013, Dinenberg established KindManage, LLC (“KindManage” or “Kind”), for the purpose of providing payment processing and related services to cannabis growers and distributors in states that had authorized, or were on the verge of authorizing, marijuana sales for medicinal and/or recreational purposes.

The information alleges that, from about April 2014 to about April 2023, Dinenberg fraudulently induced dozens of people into buying shares of Kind and/or affiliated entities by: (a) making false representations about Kind’s revenues, valuations, and business prospects; and by (b) misleading the investors into believing that their entire investments were being used for the benefit of Kind, when, in reality, the defendant embezzled more than a half-million dollars from Kind and used it to pay for unauthorized personal expenditures, such as his sons’ college tuitions, rent on a luxurious California home, and social club memberships.

In total, the information alleges, Dinenberg defrauded these investors out of more than $8.8 million. 

The information further alleges that Dinenberg also used Kind to defraud the State of Rhode Island out of approximately $175,000 in fees paid by Rhode Island marijuana growers in 2020 and 2021. Instead of remitting most of the fees to the Rhode Island government, per the terms of his contract with the state, Dinenberg diverted the funds to his personal bank accounts and used them to pay for personal expenses.

If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of 20 years in prison on the securities fraud charge and 20 years in prison on each of the wire fraud charges.

This case was investigated by FBI Philadelphia’s Newtown Square Resident Agency and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mark Dubnoff.

The charges and allegations contained in the information are merely accusations. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Brian Pittman, 47, was sentenced today to 18 months of imprisonment, three years of supervised release, a $200 special assessment, and $606,101 in restitution by United States District Judge Kelley Brisbon Hodge for defrauding a pandemic relief program and committing tax fraud.

The defendant was charged via information in February of this year and pleaded guilty in March to one count of wire fraud and one count of filing a false tax return, waiving prosecution by indictment.

On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (“Fraud Division”). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.

As detailed in court filings, Pittman used the names and information of friends and family to apply for, and receive, multiple pandemic relief loans backed by the United States Small Business Administration (“SBA”). Pittman used false information and fake documents to support applications for the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (“EIDL”) program, resulting in payouts to friends and family of $363,600. 

Pittman had his friends and family transfer him the majority of the loan money — over $250,000 — which he kept for himself. Pittman did not report this income on his tax returns, resulting in almost $90,000 of underpayment to the IRS.

Pittman obtained an additional $181,164 in pandemic relief from the SBA based on fraudulent applications filed in his own name and the names of businesses he controlled. 

In total, Pittman was responsible for $544,764 of payouts based on fraud.

While submitting the false applications, and through the present, Pittman worked as a pastor at a 350-member Delaware-based church, served as a volunteer chaplain for a Delaware County police department, and ran a mentoring program.

This case was investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jessica Rice and Ruth Mandelbaum.

Four aliens, including 2 illegal aliens, have been charged with election-related crimes, announced United States Attorney David Metcalf.

“Our sovereignty as a nation belongs to the American people and no one else,” U.S. Attorney Metcalf said. “Anyone, including illegal aliens, who votes illegally in our elections will be prosecuted for corrupting our democracy.”

“Voting by noncitizens is illegal and has real consequences for the American public,” said HSI Philadelphia Special Agent in Charge Nathan Abel. “Every unlawful ballot can undermine confidence in the election process and diminish the voices of American citizens. HSI Philadelphia remains committed to working with our law enforcement partners to investigate election-related fraud and help protect the integrity of U.S. elections.”

Cliff Sanon, 39, an illegal alien from Haiti who has been residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was charged by criminal complaint with one count of submitting a fraudulent voter registration application. According to the complaint, Sanon allegedly submitted a voter registration application in February 2026 in Philadelphia County prior to the May 2026 primary election, despite being a citizen of Haiti and not an American citizen. The complaint further alleges that this was among eight fraudulent voter registration applications submitted by Sanon, who also voted in the November 2022 election. If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum of five years of imprisonment, one year of supervised release, a $250,000 fine, and a $100 special assessment.

Dilea Ochoa-Perez, 43, an illegal alien from Mexico who has been residing in Coatesville, Pennsylvania, was charged by information with two counts of voting as an alien. According to the information, Ochoa-Perez allegedly illegally voted in Chester County in the November 2022 and November 2024 general elections, even though she was a citizen of Mexico at the time of both elections and not an American citizen. If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum of two years of imprisonment, one year of supervised release, a $200,000 fine, and a $50 special assessment. 

Trinidad & Tobago national, Sade Guppy, 37, a lawful permanent resident, was charged by information with one count of voting as an alien. According to the information, Guppy allegedly illegally voted in Philadelphia County in the November 2022 general election, even though she was not a United States citizen. If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum of one year of imprisonment, one year of supervised release, a $100,000 fine, and a $25 special assessment.

Mexican national, Eduardo Gallardo Maldonado, 66, a lawful permanent resident, was charged by information with one count of voting as an alien. According to the information, Maldonado allegedly illegally voted in Philadelphia County in the November 2024 general election, even though he was not a United States citizen. If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum of one year of imprisonment, one year of supervised release, a $100,000 fine, and a $25 special assessment.

These cases were investigated by Homeland Security Investigations.

The charges and allegations contained in the criminal complaint and information are merely accusations. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Ardavan Alamoutinia, 36, of Hummelstown, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today to 120 months in prison, three years of supervised release, and restitution of $3,177,376 by United States District Judge Juan R. Sánchez for a scheme to fraudulently obtain emergency funds meant for those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The defendant was charged by indictment in May 2023 and pleaded guilty this March to one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud, 10 counts of mail fraud, one count of theft of government money, and one count of aggravated identity theft. His co-defendant, Aryanah Davison, 26, of Harrisburg, Pa., pleaded guilty to her role in the scheme in January 2025 and will be sentenced at a later date.

As detailed in court filings, Alamoutinia and Davison used stolen identities to file over 500 fraudulent applications for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (“PUA”). These 500-plus fraudulent applications were filed using at least 375 identities of current or former employees of Company 1, Personally Identifiable Information (“PII”) which a co-conspirator had stolen and transferred to Davison.

After receiving the PII, Alamoutinia and Davison filed, or caused to be filed, the fraudulent PUA applications in 27 different states, resulting in a loss to the government of at least $2,886,876.

The two co-defendants converted at least $2,500,000 of the fraudulent proceeds in this case, spending them, in part, on a luxury sports vehicle and hundreds of thousands of dollars of cryptocurrency.

This case was investigated by the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General, United States Postal Inspection Service, National Aeronautics and Space Administration Office of Inspector General, and the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney S. Chandler Harris.

On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (“Fraud Division”). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.

PHILADELPHIA – At a news conference this morning, United States Attorney David Metcalf announced the indictment and takedown of a major Philadelphia drug trafficking organization, resulting in the seizure locally of over $8 million in cocaine and multiple firearms. In total, along with partners in other districts, over $17 million in cocaine was seized over the course of the investigation. 

The indictment charges 10 alleged members of the Jones-Basley Drug Trafficking Organization (“DTO”) with conspiracy to distribute cocaine and related offenses.

U.S. Attorney Metcalf discussed the case today alongside FBI Philadelphia Special Agent in Charge Wayne Jacobs and Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel.

“Literal truckloads of cocaine have been seized as a result of this case and kept from flooding our city,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “Know that the investigation is ongoing and there will more arrests to come. We, the FBI, and the Philadelphia Police Department are zeroing in on the drug traffickers and cartels poisoning our neighborhoods and communities.”

“Drug trafficking does not simply end with the transaction. Its impact can reach far beyond those involved in the criminal activity, threatening the safety and well-being of our neighborhoods, and putting families and communities at risk,” said Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Philadelphia. “No one agency can do this work alone. We appreciate our partners at the Philadelphia Police Department and the United States Attorney’s Office for their diligent efforts in this investigation. We will continue working alongside them to identify those who bringing dangerous drugs into our city, take down the organizations behind this activity, and bring those responsible to justice.”

“This investigation is another example of what is possible when local and federal law enforcement work together with a shared mission,” said Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin J. Bethel. “Drug trafficking organizations operating at this scale fuel violence, destabilize neighborhoods and cause tremendous harm in our communities. I am especially proud of the Philadelphia Police Department members assigned to this task force, whose work alongside our federal partners helped bring this investigation to this point. I want to thank U.S. Attorney Metcalf, Special Agent in Charge Jacobs, the FBI, and every investigator and partner who contributed to this case. We will continue working shoulder-to-shoulder to disrupt these organizations, hold those responsible accountable and make Philadelphia safer.”

As alleged in the indictment, the Jones-Basley DTO, led by Gregory Jones, aka “Smallz,” 48, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Edward Basley, aka “Beeb,” 47, of Wayne, Pa., coordinated with a Mexican drug cartel to transport hundreds of kilograms of cocaine from Mexico to Philadelphia, with the DTO pushing between $5 million and $10 million dollars’ worth of cocaine onto the city’s streets every month.

Jones and Basley are both charged with conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine and possession with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine.

In addition, Jones is charged with possession with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine within 1,000 feet of an elementary school, and Basley with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. 

Their eight co-defendants — Shawn Bell, 54, of Cheltenham, Pa., Jabari Savage, 46, Renard Brown, 43, Jermaine Singleton, 52, Farid Haddad, 48, and David McField, 43, all of Philadelphia, Orenthial Bailey, 50, of Temple, Texas, and Eduard Amador, 38, of Manassas, Virginia — are charged with conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine. The indictment alleges that they are active members or associates of the Jones-Basley DTO.

Five defendants were arrested by the FBI in coordinated operations yesterday. Five defendants were already in state or federal custody.

If convicted, all the defendants face maximum possible sentences of life imprisonment.

This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (“HSTF”) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of U.S. law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. 

HSTF Philadelphia is co-led by Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI, and partner agencies include the Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the U.S. Marshals Service, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

The case was investigated by the FBI and the Philadelphia Police Department, with assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Probation Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General’s Bureau of Narcotics Investigation, Tennessee Highway Patrol, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Tennessee, Delaware State Police, Maryland State Police, and Virginia State Police. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Lauren Stram and Christopher Parisi.

The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Gurlal Singh, 31, an Indian national who has been residing in the U.S. illegally, has been convicted at trial of drug and gun offenses.

The defendant was charged by superseding indictment in September of last year and found guilty by a federal jury of possession with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine and possession of a firearm by an alien illegally and unlawfully in the U.S.

As detailed in court filings and proven at trial, on August 28, 2024, at approximately 1:17 a.m., Pennsylvania State Police troopers from Hamburg Barracks and Bethel Township Police Department officers responded to the defendant’s Bethel Township, Berks County residence for a report of a shooting incident related to a home invasion. Troopers secured the location, conducted a safety sweep, and located an AK-47 style rifle near the front door, as well as a fired cartridge casing and projectile on the first floor. 

The same day, investigators obtained and executed a state search and seizure warrant for the residence. A search of the premises revealed a quantity of cocaine, kilogram size wrapping materials, and a black digital scale.

Law enforcement learned that between April 2024 and August 28, 2024, Singh and another person, charged elsewhere, possessed with the intent to distribute 28 kilograms of cocaine. The cocaine was initially stored at Singh’s Bethel residence, which is in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, and subsequently moved by the defendant and the other person to an area storage facility located in the Middle District of Pennsylvania. 

In addition to the AK-47 style rifle that he possessed and discharged in his home, Singh was found to have two shotguns, a pistol, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition, which, as an illegal alien and prohibited person, he was not lawfully permitted to possess.

The defendant is scheduled to be sentenced on January 7 and faces a maximum possible term of life imprisonment.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Drug Enforcement Administration, and Pennsylvania State Police, with assistance from the Bethel Township Police Department and the Berks County District Attorney’s Office, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Rosalynda M. Michetti and Josh Davison.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Evelyn Miller, 37, of Emmaus, Pennsylvania, a Philippine citizen lawfully residing in the U.S., pleaded guilty today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Scott M. Reid to illegally voting in the 2024 general election. Under both federal and state law, only U.S. citizens may vote in Pennsylvania.

Miller is scheduled to be sentenced on December 16 and faces a maximum possible sentence of one year in prison, one year of supervised release, a $100,000 fine, and a $25 special assessment.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Hayden Laubach, 36, of Bath, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today to 12 months and one day in prison and three years of supervised release by United States District Judge John M. Gallagher for unlawfully possessing multiple guns.

The defendant was charged by information in April of this year and pleaded guilty in May to one count of possession of nonregistered firearms.

As detailed in court filings and statements, on September 19, 2025, Bushkill Township police officers conducted a vehicle stop of Laubach for an expired registration and suspended license. A search of the defendant’s Toyota 4Runner ensued and resulted in the seizure of ammunition, to include 9mm, .223 caliber, and shotgun shells, loaded AR-15 magazines, two privately made firearms, a short-barreled shotgun, an AR-style short-barreled rifle, and a silencer. The defendant has no current or approved applications on file permitting him to possess the unregistered firearms and silencer.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Bushkill Township Police Department, with assistance from the Bethlehem Police Department Bomb Squad, and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jeffrey Dimmig.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Treva Harris, 50, of Medford, New Jersey, was sentenced to 12 months and one day of imprisonment, three years of supervised release, a $7,500 fine, a $100 special assessment, and $535,000 in restitution by United States District Judge John F. Murphy for fraudulently obtaining a loan award of approximately $535,000 from the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”), established by the federal government to provide emergency financial assistance to small businesses and their workers suffering the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The defendant was charged by information in August of last year and pleaded guilty in October to one count of bank fraud, waiving prosecution by indictment.

As detailed in court filings and statements, in 2020, Harris applied for and received multiple pandemic relief loans backed by the United States Small Business Administration (“SBA”), including two loans for a Philadelphia childcare business named Child Prodigy Education Center (“CPEC”).

The first of the two loans was an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (“EIDL”) that resulted in approximately $514,900 in disbursements to Harris. Harris’s EIDL loan application, originally submitted in April 2020, accurately represented that her childcare business had only three employees, gross income of $165,907 for the past 12 months, and $113,420 in “cost of goods sold” (i.e. payroll).

However, just two months later, Harris submitted a separate PPP loan application for CPEC, including fabricated IRS documentation, in which she falsely claimed that CPEC actually had 27 employees and a monthly payroll of $214,000, or $2,568,000 annually. Based on that application, she received a loan of $535,000, much of which she promptly misspent on personal luxury retail purchases, large cash withdrawals, and checks written to her boyfriend’s business.

On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (“Fraud Division”). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.

This case was investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys S. Chandler Harris and Matthew T. Newcomer.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Haneef Palmer, aka “Lew,” 33, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 121 months in prison, three years of supervised release, and $1,080,786.44 in restitution by United States District Chief Judge Wendy Beetlestone for his central role in a large-scale cargo theft conspiracy.

The defendant was charged by superseding indictment in December 2024 and pleaded guilty in March of this year to one count each of conspiracy, robbery interfering with interstate commerce (Hobbs Act robbery), possession of items from interstate shipment theft, theft of government money, and possession of stolen government money, and five counts of theft from an interstate shipment.

As detailed in court filings and statements, between January 1, 2023, and July 31, 2023, Palmer conspired with co-defendants to steal goods moving as parts of interstate shipments located on tractor trailers around Philadelphia. 

While a trailer was unattended overnight, or while the driver was asleep, the members of the conspiracy participating in the theft would use bolt cutters and other tools to break into the trailer and steal the goods inside. The members of the conspiracy would then offer the goods for sale to local contacts.

Among other acts, Palmer admitted to participating in the robbery of a tractor trailer carrying commercial refrigerators on April 1, 2023, during which he and others attacked and injured the driver, and to participating in the theft of over $230,000 worth of U.S. dimes on April 13, 2023. The members of the conspiracy committed numerous other thefts, stealing goods with a total estimated value of more than $1.5 million from more than 10 victims.

This case was investigated by the FBI and the Philadelphia Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Alexander Bowerman and Christopher Diviny.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Haneef Palmer, aka “Lew,” 33, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 121 months in prison, three years of supervised release, and $1,080,786.44 in restitution by United States District Chief Judge Wendy Beetlestone for his central role in a large-scale cargo theft conspiracy.

The defendant was charged by superseding indictment in December 2024 and pleaded guilty in March of this year to one count each of conspiracy, robbery interfering with interstate commerce (Hobbs Act robbery), possession of items from interstate shipment theft, theft of government money, and possession of stolen government money, and five counts of theft from an interstate shipment.

As detailed in court filings and statements, between January 1, 2023, and July 31, 2023, Palmer conspired with co-defendants to steal goods moving as parts of interstate shipments located on tractor trailers around Philadelphia. 

While a trailer was unattended overnight, or while the driver was asleep, the members of the conspiracy participating in the theft would use bolt cutters and other tools to break into the trailer and steal the goods inside. The members of the conspiracy would then offer the goods for sale to local contacts.

Among other acts, Palmer admitted to participating in the robbery of a tractor trailer carrying commercial refrigerators on April 1, 2023, during which he and others attacked and injured the driver, and to participating in the theft of over $230,000 worth of U.S. dimes on April 13, 2023. The members of the conspiracy committed numerous other thefts, stealing goods with a total estimated value of more than $1.5 million from more than 10 victims.

This case was investigated by the FBI and the Philadelphia Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Alexander Bowerman and Christopher Diviny.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that DeWhite Dawkins, aka Dwight Dawkins, “Twin White,” and Kaleem Fraites, 42, a Jamaican national who has been unlawfully residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced this afternoon to 115 months in prison by United States District Judge Timothy J. Savage for illegally reentering the U.S. after the defendant’s 2023 deportation.

At a separate sentencing hearing this morning, Dawkins was sentenced to 92 months in prison by United States District Judge Kai N. Scott for bribing a postal carrier to deliver packages of marijuana. 

The sentences will run concurrently, and after completing them, Dawkins will be removed from the U.S. once again.

As detailed in court filings and statements, for more than a year, Dawkins, a marijuana dealer, paid a United States Postal Service carrier substantial bribes to deliver Priority Mail packages that contained marijuana to him and an associate. He admitted that, in exchange for the bribes, the carrier delivered some 15 parcels containing approximately 237 pounds of marijuana in total, which were shipped from California to addresses on the postal carrier’s route in Levittown, Pennsylvania. The marijuana in the 15 parcels was valued at approximately $450,000.

The illegal reentry case was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Josh Davison.

The bribery case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations and the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Terri A. Marinari.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that John A. Miller, 77, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today to 10 months in prison, two years of supervised release with six months of home confinement, and $1,626,556 in restitution by United States District Judge Kelley Brisbon Hodge for defrauding the nonprofit organization for which he worked of more than $1.6 million and laundering the fraud proceeds.

The defendant was charged by superseding indictment in May 2025 and pleaded guilty this March to one count of wire fraud and one count of engaging in a monetary transaction involving criminally derived property.

As detailed in court filings and statements, Miller served as the executive director and treasurer of a Philadelphia-based religious nonprofit organization that provided financial assistance to the widows and orphans of deceased clergy members. 

From 2015 through 2022, he diverted money to himself by masking wires intended for beneficiaries with personal checks issued to himself. To conceal the payments, Miller made false and misleading records in the nonprofit’s internal accounting ledgers. In total, Miller misappropriated more than $1.6 million.

After Miller diverted the nonprofit funds into his personal accounts, he used the proceeds for personal expenses, including luxury travel and the purchase of a luxury condominium in Philadelphia. After being made aware of the fraud investigation, Miller liquidated the proceeds by selling the property. Despite the sale, law enforcement agents seized the fraudulent proceeds as the transaction took place.

This case was investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Alisa Shver, J. Andrew Jenemann, and Alexander Bowerman.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Jaclyn D. Diiorio, aka “D,” 28, of Runnemede, New Jersey, was arrested and charged by indictment with two counts of using interstate commerce facilities in the commission of a murder-for-hire.

The defendant made her initial appearance in federal court this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Scott W. Reid and is being held in federal custody pending a detention hearing on September 14.

The indictment alleges that, from about March 30, 2025, to about April 5, 2025, in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and the District of New Jersey, Diiorio used and caused another to use a facility of interstate commerce, that is, a cellular phone, with intent that the murders of Person #1 and Person #2 be committed, in exchange for money.

If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of 20 years in prison.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with assistance from the Camden County (N.J.) Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit, Gloucester Township (N.J.) Police Department, and the U.S. Marshals Service New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force – Camden Division. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kwambina Coker and Joshua Myers.

The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.

U.S. v. Jaclyn D. Diiorio

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Scott Testa, 60, of Lafayette Hill, Pennsylvania, was arrested and charged by indictment with two counts of cyberstalking, arising from online conduct targeting a local government official, a police officer, and their families.

The defendant appeared in federal court this afternoon for a hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Scott W. Reid, at which Testa was ordered detained in federal custody pending trial.

The indictment alleges that, on multiple dates in April of this year, the defendant, with the intent to harass and intimidate two victims affiliated with Whitpain Township, used the internet and/or electronic mail to engage in a course of conduct that caused, attempted to cause, and would be reasonably expected to cause substantial emotional distress to the victims.

Specifically, as alleged, in April 2026, Testa posted on Reddit an AI-altered image depicting one victim wearing a white Ku Klux Klan robe with the name of his current employer in the background, and included false information about the victim, which defendant Testa knew to be false when it was posted. Then, as further alleged, Testa posted the names of this victim’s children and an address of a home which he believed to be the victim’s true home address. 

In addition, the indictment alleges that, also in April 2026, Testa posted on Reddit an AI-altered image of a second victim and his family, including his minor children, with their faces exposed so that they could be identified, depicting them all wearing white Ku Klux Klan robes. Each time, along with the photograph, the defendant identified the victim and his family. Testa also posted messages directed at the victim, like “we are watching you,” “we are coming,” and “…This does not get erased; it’s forever. Your career and your family’s future is going to be pockmarked with you cowards. … we are going to run you out of town.”

If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment, three years of supervised release, a $500,000 fine, and a $200 special assessment.

This case was investigated by FBI Philadelphia’s Fort Washington Resident Agency and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney J. Jeanette Kang.

The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Manoach Chayaud, 43, of Carmel, Indiana, was convicted today at trial of a years-long conspiracy to defraud the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”). 

The defendant was charged by indictment in December 2024, arising from a scheme that ran from approximately November 2013 through February 2022, in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and elsewhere.

As proven at trial, Chayaud recruited two individuals to assist him in a scheme to file false tax returns on behalf of clients of his tax preparation business, setting up an office in Indiana, where he lived, and an office in Philadelphia, where the two co-conspirators lived. 

Chayaud taught the two co-conspirators how to prepare tax returns to increase client refunds by, among other things, filing false Schedules C claiming large losses for businesses that the client did not have, fraudulently claiming education credits, and fraudulently claiming Schedule A deductions. 

As a result, the defendant and his co-conspirators were able to increase the refunds for their clients and charge additional tax preparation fees. Chayaud and one of the co-conspirators split the proceeds of the business; the other co-conspirator was paid a percentage of the fees the business charged.

The defendant is scheduled to be sentenced on December 15 and faces a maximum possible term of five years in prison, a fine, or both.

On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (“Fraud Division”). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.

This case was investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jessica Rice and David Ignall.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced today that Franklin Towne Charter High School (“Franklin Towne”), a public charter high school in Philadelphia, and its former CEO Joseph Venditti have separately agreed to pay a total of $3,914,328.77 to resolve claims that they violated the False Claims Act by discriminating against black applicants during a January 2023 admissions lottery.

“Racial discrimination has no place in school admissions,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “Selecting or excluding students because of their race is illegal and violates the agreements schools sign when they accept federal grant money.”

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and United States Department of Education regulations prohibit any school that receives federal financial assistance from discriminating based on race, color, or national origin during the admissions process or otherwise.

The United States contends that, in January 2023, Franklin Towne, acting through or at the behest of Venditti, manipulated what should have been a random admissions lottery to reduce the chances of black applicants being admitted. At the time of the lottery, Franklin Towne was funded in part by grants that were provided by the United States Department of Education and administered by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania pursuant to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund.

The settlement amounts with both defendants were based on analyses of their abilities to pay. Franklin Towne will pay $3,639,328.77 as part of its settlement agreement and Venditti will pay $275,000.00 as part of his settlement agreement.

As part of the settlement agreement with Franklin Towne, the United States acknowledges, pursuant to the Department of Justice’s Guidelines for Taking Voluntary Disclosure, Cooperation and Remediation into Account in False Claims Act Matters (Justice Manual § 4.4.112), that the school has made significant governance changes, including replacing the Chief Executive Officer and hiring an independent third party to conduct all future admissions lotteries at the school.

“I am proud of the work of OIG staff, and our law enforcement and prosecutorial partners whose efforts brought about this settlement,” said Jamila Davis, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Education Office of Inspector General Eastern Regional Office. “The OIG will continue to pursue allegations of violations of the False Claims Act in carrying out our important public service.”

This matter was handled in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania by Assistant United States Attorneys Peter Carr and Fernando I. Rivera, with assistance from litigative consultant Denis Cooke.

The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Nasir Warlow, 21, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today to 114 months’ imprisonment and three years of supervised release by United States District Judge Joel H. Slomsky for committing a gunpoint carjacking in 2024.

The defendant was charged by indictment in March 2025 and pleaded guilty this February to one count of carjacking and one count of using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.

As detailed in court filings and statements, on September 3, 2024, at approximately 5:08 a.m., Warlow and two accomplices, all wearing masks and dressed in black, approached a man parking his silver 2017 Nissan Sentra on the 6700 block of Woodland Avenue. 

Warlow came up to the driver’s side, pointed a firearm at the victim, and ordered him out of the car, as the two accomplices approached from the passenger side. The three carjackers then entered the vehicle and fled northbound on 68th Street.

Police officers saw the men traveling in the stolen Nissan near Cobbs Creek Parkway and Baltimore Avenue and initiated a pursuit. The chase ended when Warlow crashed into the front porch of a residence on the 300 block of Horton Street, causing significant damage to both the home and the vehicle.

This case was investigated by the Philadelphia Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sandra Urban.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Tymair Harris, 23, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today to 52 months’ imprisonment and three years of supervised release by United States District Judge Kai N. Scott for his role in planning and committing the armed robbery of a South Jersey cell phone store.

The defendant was charged by indictment in April 2025 and pleaded guilty this March to conspiracy to commit a robbery interfering with interstate commerce (Hobbs Act robbery).

As detailed in court filings and admitted to by the defendant, on November 28, 2022, he and his co-conspirators committed the armed robbery of a Verizon Wireless store on Route 73 in Voorhees, New Jersey. Harris used a firearm to force employees into the store’s back room where the safe was kept and held them there at gunpoint. Shortly thereafter, he and his co-conspirators fled the store with more than $61,000 worth of electronics. 

Later that evening, following an approximately nine-mile police chase from Voorhees to Philadelphia, the defendant was apprehended by officers with the Philadelphia Police Department.

This case was investigated by FBI Philadelphia’s Violent Crimes Task Force and South Jersey Resident Agency and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Meghan A. Farley and Lauren Stram.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Daniel A. Pallen, 46, of Springfield, Pennsylvania, entered a plea of guilty today before United States District Judge Gail A. Weilheimer to one count of tax evasion and one count of mail fraud, arising from his submission of over $400,000 in fictitious checks to evade payment of his federal taxes and to purchase a new electric utility truck.

As detailed in an information filed in July of this year, the defendant, an attorney, signed and submitted 14 fake “certified” checks to the Internal Revenue Service in November 2024 and January 2025, totaling $294,454.52. Pallen also submitted payment vouchers designating that his fictitious checks be applied to his tax liabilities for Tax Years 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, and 2022. 

Pallen’s checks were fraudulent because they all used a bank routing number associated with the Federal Reserve Bank and a false bank account number that was Pallen’s Social Security number. In February 2025, the defendant called the IRS to ask whether his checks had been received and to inquire as to why the corresponding payments had not been applied to his tax liabilities.

In addition, Pallen signed and used a fake “cashier’s check” in the amount of $129,710.51 to purchase a new electric utility truck in October 2024 from Company A, with pickup in West Chester, Pennsylvania. The check that he signed and provided to Company A to pay for the electric truck was fraudulent and forged; the account and routing numbers listed on the check belonged not to Pallen, but to Company A’s own bank account.

After Pallen’s sham check bounced and Company A secured the electric utility truck, Pallen, who is a licensed attorney and the owner of a law firm in Media, Pa., filed a civil lawsuit in November 2024 against Company A in Chester County that sought the “immediate return” of the vehicle, along with costs and attorneys’ fees. 

The lawsuit, which was signed and verified by Pallen, falsely represented that Company A unlawfully possessed and had no ownership, right, or title to the electric utility truck, when, in fact, the defendant knew the vehicle had been purchased with a bounced check that was forged and fictitious. His verified lawsuit also attached a made-up Form 1099-A tax filing that falsely claimed that Company A had borrowed $129,710.51 from a trust managed by Pallen. In December 2024, Pallen served a notice of default and praecipe for default judgment against Company A, which again sought possession of the electric utility truck and a money judgment against Company A.

The defendant is scheduled to be sentenced on December 10 and faces a maximum possible term of 25 years’ imprisonment.

On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (“Fraud Division”). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.

This case was investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation and the FBI and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Samuel S. Dalke.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Arthur Thompson, 40, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today to 150 months’ imprisonment and three years of supervised release by United States District Judge Karen Spencer Marston for illegally possessing guns and ammunition as a felon.

At back-to-back trials earlier this year, two federal juries convicted the defendant of separate firearms offenses. 

On March 31, 2026, Thompson was convicted of possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon.

As detailed in court filings and proven at trial, on December 20, 2022, two Philadelphia police officers saw the defendant commit a traffic violation and attempted to conduct a traffic stop. Thompson stopped his car, got out, tossed a loaded firearm, and ran away from the officers. After a brief foot chase, the defendant was detained and later charged locally with firearms violations.

Thompson was federally indicted in January 2025 and then charged by superseding indictment in December. He had previously been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year and was not permitted to possess a firearm or ammunition.

On April 10, 2026, Thompson was convicted once again of possession of a firearm by a felon.

As detailed in court filings and proven at trial, on October 18, 2023, investigators with the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General’s Gun Violence Task Force (“GVTF”) carried out an operation to locate Thompson, who was the subject of an active arrest warrant. Investigators conducting surveillance on the 3000 block of North Percy Street in Philadelphia saw two people, who they believed were the defendant and his girlfriend, in a parked car, which drove away from that location a few hours later.

GVTF members maintained constant visual surveillance of the vehicle, which subsequently pulled over to drop off the female passenger. After the male drove off, investigators relayed its location and path of travel to Philadelphia Police Department (“PPD”) Highway Patrol officers, who initiated a vehicle stop. After the male driver was removed from the vehicle and positively identified as Arthur Thompson, the PPD officers arrested him on the active warrant.

GVTF investigators obtained and executed a search warrant on the vehicle, recovering a loaded 9mm handgun. 

These cases were investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General Gun Violence Task Force, and the Philadelphia Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Robert E. Eckert and Samantha A. Arena and Special Assistant United States Attorney Tracie J. Gaydos.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that William F. Dunbar Sr., 42, of Pennsburg, Pennsylvania, entered a plea of guilty this afternoon before United States District Judge Kelley Brisbon Hodge to two counts of tax evasion, one count of making and subscribing a false tax return, and one count of aiding and assisting the presentation of false tax returns.

Dunbar was charged with those offenses by information, arising from his evading the assessment of taxes and filing of six years of false returns for himself and Person #1.

As detailed in court filings and statements, the defendant, a political consultant, has owned and operated Dunbar Public Affairs & Associates (“DPAA”), a political consulting firm in Philadelphia, from 2022 to the present.

For each of the tax years 2019 through 2024, Dunbar annually prepared and filed federal and state individual income tax returns for himself and Person #1, his spouse, through TurboTax, the online tax preparation service. Each of the tax returns contained a written declaration that it was made under the penalties of perjury. However, each of the tax returns contained material falsehoods. 

In particular, Dunbar grossly and falsely inflated the gifts to charity on both his and Person #1’s returns and grossly and falsely inflated the business expenses on his returns. He did so for the purpose of evading the assessment of taxes as the false charitable gifts and business expenses eliminated, or substantially reduced, the tax liability on both his and Person #1’s returns and, in most years, generated tax refunds for them. 

The stipulated total tax loss to the United States from the false returns for defendant Dunbar and Person #1 from 2019 through 2024 was between $350,000 and $750,000.

The defendant is scheduled to be sentenced on January 11 and faces a maximum possible term of 16 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $1,000,000 fine. Full restitution also may be ordered. 

On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (“Fraud Division”). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.

This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation and the FBI and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Louis D. Lappen.

PHILADELPHIA — United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that a vessel operating company pleaded guilty today to charges stemming from the discharge of oily waste into the sea. MSC Shipmanagement Limited, one of the largest shipping companies in the world, pleaded guilty to two counts of violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (“APPS”) for conduct that occurred on the motor vessel MSC Samira III between June 2024 and January 2025. The vessel’s owner, Hong Kong Spirit Shipping and Trading Limited, also pleaded guilty to two counts of violating APPS. Both companies were sentenced to pay a combined fine of $1.75 million and serve four years of probation. Second Engineer Mikhail Tsurikov previously pleaded guilty to violating APPS and is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 10.

“These companies repeatedly cut corners and covered it up, befouling the marine environment,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “Their violations evidence both a disdain for our country’s laws and a clear case of greed. Shippers who illegally discharge pollutants and doctor their records will be prosecuted and held accountable.”

“Foreign vessels that enter the ports of the United States and present false documents undermine our efforts to preserve our environment and enforce the law,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Department of Justice’s Energy and Natural Resources Division (“ENRD”). “We will vigorously protect the integrity of our port state control system against actors who put profit over compliance with the law.”

“Deliberately concealing illegal discharges puts our marine environment at risk and undermines the domestic and international regulatory frameworks designed to keep our waterways safe,” said U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Roberto Rivera, captain of the port and commander of Sector Delaware Bay. “The Coast Guard remains committed to working with our federal partners to hold operators accountable when they violate the laws that protect our oceans.”

“The Coast Guard Investigative Service (“CGIS”) possesses unique statutory authorities and specialized investigative capabilities purpose-built to address complex criminal conduct in the maritime environment,” said CGIS Assistant Special Agent in Charge Javiel Gonzalez. “When maritime operators engage in criminal deception, falsify official records, and attempt to circumvent federal oversight, CGIS special agents have the technical expertise and jurisdiction to uncover the truth and hold perpetrators accountable. This case underscores our unwavering commitment to maintaining the integrity of our waterways and enforcing the rule of law across the maritime domain.”

Between June and September 2024, senior officers in the engine department of the MSC Samira III instructed lower-level crew members to pump oily bilge water from the vessel’s bilge holding tank to the sewage holding tank using portable pumps and hoses. The crew members then discharged the oily bilge water into the sea using the sewage holding tank’s overboard discharge valve. In doing so, they bypassed the oil water separator, a piece of pollution prevention equipment that is designed to prevent the discharge of oily bilge water containing more than 15 parts per million of oil into the sea.

Such exceptional discharges of oil are required by U.S. and international law to be recorded in a ship’s oil record book, but the officers in charge of these operations failed to do so. In addition to these discharges of oily waste from the vessel’s sewage holding tank, on several occasions between September 2024 and January 2025, senior engine department crew members also tricked the oil water separator by running fresh water instead of oily bilge water through the equipment’s oil content monitor. Doing so allowed them to discharge oily bilge water directly into the sea through the oil water separator. These discharges were also not accurately recorded in the vessel’s oil record book as required by law.

In January 2025, the MSC Samira III made two separate calls in the Port of Philadelphia, where its crew presented the false oil record book to the U.S. Coast Guard.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay and the U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Angella Middleton and Anthony Scicchitano and Trial Attorney Lauren Steele of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Eric Sanville, 39, of Norwood, Pennsylvania, was arrested today and charged by criminal complaint with manufacture and attempted manufacture of child pornography. Sanville is an elementary school teacher in the North Penn School District.

The defendant made his initial appearance in federal court this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Elizabeth L. Toplin and will be detained in federal custody pending indictment and trial. 

The criminal complaint alleges that Sanville used a messaging app to entice two minors, both eight-year-old girls, to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing visual depictions of those acts.

If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of 30 years in prison, with a mandatory minimum term of 15 years’ imprisonment.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit projectsafechildhood.gov.

The case was investigated by FBI Philadelphia’s Newtown Square Resident Agency, with assistance from the Delaware County District Attorney's Office Criminal Investigation Division, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kelly Harrell and Angela Monaco.

The charges and allegations contained in the criminal complaint are merely accusations. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Gary Margerum, 69, of Levittown, Pennsylvania, entered a plea of guilty today before United States District Chief Judge Wendy Beetlestone to one count of distribution and attempted distribution of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.

The defendant was charged with those offenses by indictment in June of last year.

As detailed in court filings and statements, on or about January 2, 2025, the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office received a CyberTip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The tip concerned a messaging app account, later identified as belonging to defendant Margerum, that had shared child sexual abuse material (“CSAM”), specifically, a sexually explicit image of a prepubescent female. 

On or about April 4, 2025, Bucks County investigators, along with agents of Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”), executed a search warrant at the defendant’s residence, with his iPhone among the items seized. During a forensic examination of the phone, law enforcement recovered approximately 187 images that qualify as child pornography. These images depicted prepubescent children, including children as young as infants and toddlers, being sexually abused by adults.

The defendant is scheduled to be sentenced on December 17 and faces a maximum possible term of 40 years in prison and up to a lifetime of supervised release, with a mandatory minimum of five years’ imprisonment and five years of supervised release. In addition, he faces mandatory financial penalties and mandatory registration as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (“SORNA”) and Megan’s Law.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit projectsafechildhood.gov.

The case was investigated by the Bucks County Detectives and HSI and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Ruth Mandelbaum and Alisa Shver.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Bo Branstetter, 30, of Levittown, Pennsylvania, was arrested and charged by indictment with attempted use of an interstate commerce facility to entice a minor to engage in sexual conduct and attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor.

The defendant appeared in federal court today for an arraignment before U.S. Magistrate Judge Elizabeth L. Toplin and has been ordered detained in federal custody pending trial.

The indictment alleges that, from about June 13, 2026, to June 23, 2026, Branstetter used the internet and cellular phone service to knowingly persuade, induce, entice, and coerce a minor to engage in sexual activity for which any person could be charged with a criminal offense, that is, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child and statutory sexual assault. 

As further alleged, also in June of this year, Branstetter attempted to transfer obscene content to a person he believed to be a minor under 16 years of age. 

If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of life in prison, with a mandatory minimum term of 10 years’ imprisonment.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit projectsafechildhood.gov.

The case was investigated by FBI Philadelphia’s Fort Washington Resident Agency and the Bensalem Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mark Sendek.

The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Xin Guang Guo, 48, of Plymouth, North Carolina, was sentenced this afternoon to 188 months in prison and three years of supervised release by United States District Judge Harvey Bartle III for his effort to pay another individual $30,000 to kill two people residing in the Philadelphia area.

The defendant was arrested on a criminal complaint and warrant in October of last year, charged by indictment the same month, and pleaded guilty in April to two counts of using interstate commerce facilities in the commission of a murder-for-hire. 

As detailed in court filings and statements, on September 30, 2025, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (“ATF”) received information that the defendant wanted to contract a hitman to murder his former business partner and the business partner’s paramour (“Person-1” and “Person-2”).

Investigators received copies of text messages written by the defendant, whom they were able to identify as Xin Guang Guo, detailing his plan and providing identifying information about Person-1 and Person-2.

In subsequent phone calls monitored by the ATF, Guo discussed the terms of the contract, in which he would pay $15,000 for each murder. Guo also arranged to meet an individual he thought was the hitman in Philadelphia on October 6, so Guo could give him $2,500 to buy a gun.

At the October 6 meeting, the defendant gave the $2,500 to an ATF undercover officer and requested photographic proof that Person-1 and Person-2 had been murdered before he would pay the remaining balance. The agreement was made, Guo departed in his vehicle, and shortly thereafter was arrested by the ATF without incident.

 “The defendant orchestrated the death of two people,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “It does not matter whether you pull the trigger or pay someone else to do it. It also does not matter that, in this case, the plan failed. Anyone who takes action to take the life of another faces a lengthy stay in federal prison.”

“Xin Guang Guo thought he could get away with paying a killer to commit two murders for him, and even wanted photos of the bloody crime,” said ATF Philadelphia Field Division Special Agent in Charge Eric DeGree. “Our ATF Special Agents caught him cash-in-hand, and now he’s going to prison for a long time for his insidious crime.”

This case was investigated by the ATF and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Amanda McCool.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Steven Louis, 30, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was charged by indictment with assault on a federal employee inflicting bodily injury. 

The defendant appeared in federal court today for an arraignment before U.S. Magistrate Judge Pamela A. Carlos.

Louis has been detained in federal custody since his July 21 arrest on a criminal complaint and warrant. 

The indictment alleges that on July 21, 2026, the defendant forcibly assaulted United States Postal Service employee F.W., hitting F.W. in the head with a heavy metal pipe, while F. W. was engaged in or on account of the performance of his official duties.

If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of 20 years in prison.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shayna Gannone.

The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Alvaro Morales-Ortiz, 33, a Guatemalan national, was sentenced by United States District Judge Mia Roberts Perez to 12 months and one day in prison for illegally reentering the United States after prior deportations. Upon completing his prison sentence, he will be removed from the U.S. for a third time.

Morales-Ortiz had previously been removed in August 2018, following his arrest by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) for having ignored an immigration judge’s orders to depart the country the year prior, and in November 2023, after ICE located and arrested him in Philadelphia.

In September 2025, ICE learned that the defendant was back in the country and had been arrested in Delaware County — at least his third arrest while illegally in the U.S. Morales-Ortiz had been arrested by Philadelphia police in November 2016 and May 2019; both times, he failed to appear in court to answer to the charges against him.  

This February, Morales-Ortiz was convicted of simple assault and harassment in the Delaware County Court of Common Pleas. At that time, ICE took Morales-Ortiz into federal custody on a criminal complaint and warrant. He was charged by indictment with illegal reentry the same month and pleaded guilty in April.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

The case was investigated by ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michelle Rotella.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Demetrio Lagunes-Xocua, 32, a Mexican national illegally in the United States, was sentenced this week to 120 months in prison and five years of supervised release by United States District Judge Nitza I. Quiñones Alejandro for his participation in a drug trafficking operation in which he transported a significant amount of methamphetamine across the country for distribution in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

The defendant was charged by indictment in May 2025 with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and unlawful possession of a firearm by an alien. In April of this year, Lagunes-Xocua pleaded guilty to both charges.

As detailed in court filings and statements, on April 20, 2024, in Upper Uwchlan Township, Chester County, the defendant was found to be driving a tractor trailer containing more than 100 pounds of methamphetamine and a loaded 9mm semi-automatic pistol. Lagunes-Xocua subsequently admitted that he was driving from Colorado to Pennsylvania to deliver the load of drugs.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Pennsylvania State Police, and Chester County Detectives and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lindsey Mills.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Basir Blow, 26, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, entered a plea of guilty before United States District Judge Nitza I. Quiñones Alejandro on Tuesday to charges in two cases: a violent 2025 carjacking and a physical assault on correctional officers earlier this year.

As detailed in court filings, the defendant pleaded guilty to one count of carjacking and one count of brandishing a firearm during or in relation to a crime of violence, arising from an April 3, 2025, carjacking in West Philadelphia in which he pistol-whipped the victim with a loaded handgun and stole their 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Shortly after the victim called 911 to report the crime, a marked Philadelphia Police Department (“PPD”) unit observed a Jeep in the area consistent with the description of the carjacked vehicle. As police followed the Jeep and attempted to pull the vehicle over, Blow drove the Jeep at a high rate of speed, disregarding the PPD car’s lights and sirens. At the intersection of Girard and Lancaster Avenues, approximately two and a half miles away from the carjacking scene, the defendant crashed the Jeep into a pole and was taken into custody.

In the second case, Blow admitted to assaulting two correctional officers with a dangerous weapon, inflicting bodily injury, while the officers were performing their official duties at the Federal Detention Center Philadelphia (“FDC Philadelphia”), where Blow was detained pending resolution of the carjacking matter.

In addition to the two assault counts, Blow pleaded guilty to possessing a prohibited object intended to be used as a dangerous weapon while a federal inmate, possessing a prohibited cell phone while a federal inmate, and knowingly destroying a cellular phone with the intent to impede, obstruct, and influence the investigation and proper administration of a matter within the jurisdiction of the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

As detailed in court filings and statements, on March 24 of this year, at approximately 8:24 p.m., a correctional officer at FDC Philadelphia was conducting routine cell checks when he observed the defendant and his cellmate using a contraband cell phone. After the correctional officer ordered the inmates to surrender the phone, both inmates refused and Blow’s cellmate approached the officer and told him that the officer was not going to get the phone. 

FDC surveillance footage shows that the defendant’s cellmate then used his body to prevent the officer from reaching the defendant. This allowed Blow to evade the officer, break the cell phone, and walk into the common area next to his cell. 

FDC surveillance footage then shows that, after the officer pursued the defendant into the common area and continued his attempts to take the cell phone, Blow punched the officer in the head and upper body numerous times before taking the officer’s pepper spray and spraying the officer in the face at close proximity. As a second correctional officer came to assist, Blow sprayed that officer in the face as well. Additional officers then arrived on the scene and were able to subdue the defendant.

The defendant is scheduled to be sentenced on December 21. 

He faces a maximum possible term of 66 years in prison and three years of supervised release in the FDC Philadelphia case, which was investigated by the FBI and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael Fischer. 

Blow faces a maximum possible term of life imprisonment, with a mandatory minimum of seven years in prison, and five years of supervised release in the carjacking case, which was investigated by the Philadelphia Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Meghan A. Farley.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Nyeem Williamson, 23, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today to 85 months in prison and five years of supervised release by United States District Judge Nitza I. Quiñones Alejandro for a March 2024 armed carjacking.

The defendant and co-conspirator Khala Hardy, 24, also of Philadelphia, were charged by indictment in October 2024 with conspiracy to commit a carjacking, carjacking, and using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. Williamson pleaded guilty this March. Hardy pleaded guilty in July 2025 and was sentenced in May to more than seven years in prison. 

As detailed in court filings and statements, on the night of March 15, 2024, Williamson and Hardy targeted a female driver (“Victim 1”) who was dropping off a friend in South Philadelphia. Hardy approached on the driver’s side of the vehicle, opened the driver door, pointed a gun at Victim 1, and directed her to “get out and give me your keys.”

Victim 1 exited her Toyota RAV4 and the two carjackers fled in the vehicle, with Hardy driving. Shortly after the carjacking, Hardy instructed Williamson on how to disable the Toyota’s GPS system and cameras to avoid detection by law enforcement, as documented in their group chat messages.

Three days after the carjacking, on March 18, 2024, Philadelphia Police Department (“PPD”) officers on patrol in West Philadelphia observed the carjacked Toyota RAV4 driving the wrong way down a one-way street. Police activated their lights and sirens to initiate a traffic stop, but the vehicle sped off before coming to a stop on a pedestrian sidewalk in the area of 400 North Hobart Street. PPD officers identified the defendant as the driver of the stolen vehicle and arrested him that night. PPD detectives processed the vehicle and recovered a loaded .40 caliber semiautomatic pistol and the defendant’s cell phone.

This case was investigated by the PPD and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Samantha A. Arena.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Mark Misiano, 37, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with receipt and attempted receipt of child pornography. The defendant has been ordered detained in federal custody pending indictment and trial.

The criminal complaint alleges that Misiano was a member of group chats in which child pornography was shared, including one that he joined on July 19, 2026, in which group members exchanged numerous images and videos depicting pre-pubescent infant boys being sexually abused and raped by adult males.

On July 22, the FBI executed a federal search warrant at Misiano’s residence and seized multiple electronic devices. As alleged, in reviewing one of the defendant’s messaging apps, investigators identified child pornography, including videos of pre-pubescent boys, most appearing to be under the age of seven years old, being sexually abused and exploited. Some of the victims depicted in those clips and other images on the device were infants. 

As further detailed in the complaint, the defendant is a previously convicted sex offender. In 2016, he was convicted in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia of possession of child pornography, for which he was sentenced to nine months in prison and 10 years of supervised release. In 2024, the District of Columbia terminated Misiano’s supervised release early. 

If convicted, the defendant faces enhanced penalties based on his prior child sex conviction: a maximum possible penalty of 40 years in prison, with a mandatory minimum term of 15 years’ imprisonment, and a minimum five years up to a lifetime of supervised release.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit projectsafechildhood.gov.

The case was investigated by the FBI and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Sima Kazmir and Branwen McNabb O’Donnell.

The charges and allegations contained in the criminal complaint are merely accusations. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Alexander Telewoda, 26, of Clifton Heights, Pennsylvania, was sentenced this week to 78 months’ incarceration, three years of supervised release, restitution of $10,841,731.83, and forfeiture of $162,144.50 by United States District Judge Joshua D. Wolson for conspiring with three others to steal and sell thousands of U.S. Treasury checks.

The defendant was charged by superseding indictment in May 2025, along with co-defendants Saahir Irby, 28, and Tauheed Tucker, 24, both of Philadelphia, Pa., and Cory Scott, 26, of Ardmore, Pa. All four pleaded guilty this May to conspiracy to steal government funds, theft of government funds, and mail theft.

As detailed in court filings and statements, Telewoda was an integral member of the conspiracy. Between June 2023 and September 2024, Irby and Tucker, while working as United States Postal Service (“USPS”) mail processing clerks, stole thousands of envelopes containing U.S. Treasury checks from mail sorting machines at the USPS Philadelphia Processing and Distribution Center. 

Irby and Tucker removed the checks from the USPS facility and sold them to defendants Scott and Telewoda, who then advertised the stolen checks for resale on the Telegram app. Upon receiving payment from interested buyers, Scott and Telewoda mailed the stolen Treasury checks to buyers around the country who attempted to cash the stolen checks.

Over the course of the scheme, Irby and Tucker sold Scott and Telewoda thousands of stolen Treasury checks whose face value exceeded $84 million. Scott’s and Telewoda’s customers successfully negotiated approximately $11 million worth of these stolen Treasury checks at financial institutions.

Even after Irby and Tucker were fired from the Postal Service, Telewoda wasn’t discouraged from his crimes. He found a replacement source of stolen Treasury checks and continued to advertise and resell them. By the time of his arrest in June 2025, Telewoda had been tied to stolen Treasury checks with an aggregate face value totaling more than $121 million, including more than $3 million in stolen checks recovered from his home on the day of his arrest.

Irby, Tucker, and Scott are scheduled to be sentenced in October. Irby faces a maximum possible term of 25 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $1,000,000 fine. Tucker and Scott each face a maximum possible sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment, three years of supervised release, and a $750,000 fine.

This case was investigated by the United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI, and the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General, with substantial assistance from the Montgomery County Detective Bureau, the Lower Merion Township Police Department, and the Bureau of the Fiscal Service. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jessica Rice.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Jerome Edwards, 55, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 840 months’ imprisonment and five years of supervised release by United States District Judge Gerald J. McHugh for the manufacture and attempted manufacture of child pornography. In addition, Edwards is subject to mandatory registration as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (“SORNA”) and Megan’s Law.

The defendant was charged by indictment in September 2022, for memorializing in videos and photos his sexual abuse of several young children between the ages of three and nine years old, and taking sexually explicit photos of another child. He pleaded guilty last December to all nine counts against him.

As detailed in court filings, between June 5, 2022, and June 27, 2022, Edwards produced at least 77 images and 54 videos of child sexual abuse material (“CSAM”) depicting the victims, which the FBI recovered from his cell phone. The defendant’s conduct came to light on June 27, when one of the victims disclosed the abuse to a sibling and police were called. 

At the time of these crimes, Edwards was actively wanted by the U.S. Marshals Service for absconding from a residential reentry center in February 2022, after serving a 12-year federal prison sentence for two gunpoint robberies.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit projectsafechildhood.gov.

The case was investigated by the FBI and the Philadelphia Police Department Special Victims Unit and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kelly Harrell.

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Michael Blazo, 22, of Schwenksville, Pennsylvania, entered a plea of guilty this afternoon before United States District Judge John F. Murphy to manufacture and attempted manufacture of child pornography.

The defendant was charged by indictment in December 2024, arising from his online enticement of 10 minor victims to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing visual depictions of those acts.

As detailed in court filings, in late 2021, local law enforcement investigated a report that a 12-year-old girl in Ohio had texted child pornography to a stranger she met on the internet. The FBI identified the recipient as the defendant, and in April of 2022 executed a residential search warrant at Blazo’s house, where he lived with his parents. 

The investigation revealed that Blazo frequently posed as a teenaged girl or boy to gain victims’ trust, directing the girls to call him “master” or “mommy” or “daddy.” He advised that he was sexually gratified by watching the girls cause pain to themselves and told agents that he talked to minor girls and solicited these illegal images sometimes multiple times per day.

The subsequent review of the defendant’s seized devices revealed dozens of minors with whom he had corresponded online. The FBI confirmed the identities of 10 child victims – ranging in age from just 11 years old to 16 years of age – all of whom manufactured child pornography at the defendant’s direction and sent him the images and videos. 

Blazo preyed on these girls for more than three years, and as time progressed, he escalated his sexual abuse, demanding that the girls produce sexual images that involved obvious pain and showed their faces. If the victims expressed reluctance or refused, he extorted additional images by threatening to disseminate online the sexual images they had previously sent him. One child pleaded with Blazo, saying that she would kill herself if he distributed her images, to which the defendant responded with continued threats. The FBI also discovered one child whom the defendant not only victimized online but also traveled to and engaged in sexual intercourse. 

The defendant is scheduled to be sentenced on December 7 and faces a maximum possible sentence of 30 years in prison and a lifetime of supervised release, with a mandatory minimum term of 15 years’ imprisonment and at least five years of supervised release. Under the terms of his guilty plea agreement, he will also be required to make restitution to his victims. 

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit projectsafechildhood.gov.

The case was investigated by FBI Philadelphia’s Fort Washington Resident Agency and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michelle Rotella.